


Justice lacked a voice

by trickstersGambit



Series: Lacking [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: emotional isolation, mute kankri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-24
Updated: 2012-10-24
Packaged: 2017-11-16 21:23:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/543951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trickstersGambit/pseuds/trickstersGambit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kankri was a wiggler a horrible thing happened to him. Traumatized, he decided to stand up for people who couldn't stand up for themselves... and then forgot what he stood for.<br/>[If you read this when it first came out, please re-read it. I added to the chapter because the first part of two was not suited to chapter two at all.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Justice lacked a voice

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting on my computer for a while, and I've finally decided to go forward with it. If everyone hasn't noticed yet, I have a thing for stealing characters voices. Let's just call me Ursula's favorite student.

From the time of his hatching, Kankri had been a wordy wriggler, much to his lusus dismay, and at three sweeps old it was a given that the words were not likely to stop. Even in his sleep the boy was spouting questions. He always wanted to know the 'how's and 'why's of things. He wanted to know about other trolls and other lusi, his neighbors and everyone in the market. More often than not he would wander off while they were out and about. There was nothing more frustrating.

Kankri never fully understood why that made his Lusus so nervous. Beforus was safe, to him. The streets were clean, people were peaceful, and you had pretty much everything you needed. It wasn't as though anyone could possibly go hungry. He'd always been told that, so he believed it implicitly. Until the day he saw something he shouldn't.

He'd wandered from his lusus again, through the streets that were still muddy from the day's rain. The pink moon above lit the sky and caught in the puddles.

Kankri, like any small wriggler, was fond of hopping through them, splashing them as high as he could, with both feet. He grinned to himself, proud of his recent jump. His trousers were wet up to his waist, and that was an amazing accomplishment, if he did say so himself. And he did.

Commotion caught his eye and he frowned. Always an intense look on his expressive face. His brows drew together and his mouth puckered as he studied them.

An older blue had a rust by the shirt, pinned to a wall, a knife in hand, muttering something to them about money and finances. Kankri stood there a long time, young silver eyes grew wide and curious before...

He did what he always did. His mouth opened and words began to pour out.

"Why are you doing that?" He asked. "I don't think you're supposed to hurt people, mister. I think that man didn't mean whatever he did to you to upset you. Shouldn't you let him go? My lusus always says 'no matter how mean a person is to you, violence isn't the answer. You should always talk things out with them.' and I think maybe he's right. I think you two need to sit down and talk. Maybe over chocolate milk? My lusus makes that for me and one of my friends when we fight so we can talk."

The boy babbled on, walking closer, looking up at them with a grin. It was as though he thought that perhaps he'd be able to help. Oh how wrong he was.

The dark corridor was nearly completely blocked from the street. It was only chance that Kankri had even seen them, and it was only the flickering light from the back of a shop that allowed him to see what was happening between them.

The man turned from his victim, who was pinned by the crotch and shoulder, and grabbed Kankri by the shirt. The boy was swung around like a ragdoll in the hands of a small child, flailing limbs smacking in to hard objects, sure to leave cuts and bruises later on.

Kankri started muttering to himself. Quiet assurances that he'd be safe. That really no one an Beforus was THAT bad, right? No one would hurt him. Maybe this was as bad as it was going to get? No, he was SURE this was as bad as it was going to get. Why would anyone cause pain or harm to a wriggler?

Young, soft, overly sensitive nub horns cracked against the wall as he was thrown into it again and again, making the boy yelp and sob in pain and look up at the man as though he'd been betrayed.

Finally his hair was grabbed and his head was smacked back so hard he heard a crack, then the world went black around him and he was dropped to the ground.  
-  
Waking up he realized he wasn't where he belonged. This wasn't his hive. And where was the sound of his lusus scrambling around downstairs?

Today the sounds of the hive around him had different sounds and smells, and they made him cringe. Cringing reminded him that his head was hurt and, he was surprised to find, so did other parts of him. His back, ankles, wrists, knees, shoulders, and...

And his throat.

He raised a hand to it and found his neck wrapped. Where a whimper of fear would have been came a puff of tight air, silent and choked. Any sound he would have made was trapped in his head.

Panic gripped him and he scrambled out of the coon, slipping on the sides. His feet slipped on the edge and he hit the floor with a loud thump and a gasp.

Kankri clenched his eyes shut, curling into a sodden ball, forehead pressed to his knees. Something had happened, but he couldn't remember what. He couldn't make a sound. His lusus wasn't there when he woke up(He was always there! The crab was always there!) and his room was gone, the red exchanged for over-lit jade green. His toys, his clothes, all of his belongings were gone.

The door opened on almost soundless hinges, pressure and temperature changing. Soon a pair of arms wrapped around him and a 'shoosh' was given, a palm placed against his horns in what was supposed to be a comforting way. It only made Kankri sob.

He could feel himself shuddering and hiccuping. The force of the motion pulled at his throat, making his neck ache and throb. The stitches burned and pulled. He could feel tears dribbling down his cheeks and down into his injury.

"Calm down little grub. You're ok. I've got you." She said soothingly, petting his hair.

Kankri lifted his face to look up at her, his eyes swollen, nose stuffy, red streaks on his face. What had happened to his Lusus? Why was he in some other place? Who was she? Why was she holding him and petting him?

"My name is Aretia." She explained. Well that answered one question. "I culled you. I brought you here and made you a part of my home. Don't worry; I'll take care of you, alright?"

His lips tightened and he turned his attention to his hands. He'd been removed from his lusus, his home, everything he'd ever known, by this female troll who thought she was doing the right thing. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't. Maybe his lusus would be able to take care of his injury, maybe he wouldn't, but at least he'd have been with his lusus.

His toys.

His neighborhood.

Not that he had any friends there but it was still HIS.

"What's going through your mind, sweet one?" She leaned down to peer at him, smiling kindly. "You're all twisted up staring at nothing, grumpy face."

It was quiet for a while, and Kankri thought that maybe she was trying to figure him out. She seemed surprisingly good at it, too, because she broke the silence with:

"Bet you're worried about that lusus of yours... You know he'll be alright, right? He just doesn't get to keep you because he couldn't take care of you."

He jerked his head toward her and scowled. No. His lusus was perfectly capable. It was his own fault that he'd gotten hurt, wasn't it? He'd been the one to wander off when his lusus was busy.

Or was the definition of being incapable was different from what he thought it was.

"I bet you're hungry. Though I imagine your throat probably hurts, too. Let's just find you something to drink to fill that tummy-tum of yours." She crooned, scooping him up, setting the boy on her hip.

He worried he was too heavy. No. He didn't want to be carried, but struggling seemed to be pointless. She was going to carry him wherever she wanted. She was bigger than he was.

Was everyone going to be bigger than him forever? Trolls his own age were bigger than he was. That didn't seem fair.

The whole hive seemed to be jade green. Somehow that didn't surprise him. The carpet was plush and the same green as the rest of the hive, but in a way it felt like his new guardian was walking through grass, or perhaps thick moss. He'd have to figure out the texture of it on his own. The walls were a slightly lighter jade. It made him feel they were walking through a cave carved from stone, with glowing things set into recesses in the walls. His own hive was done in reds and greys. It was no where near as comforting as this. Maybe because red was just an energizing colour. He imagined that was a thing. It appeared she'd decided to accommodate him though. His own bright red decorated the hive in places.

The curtains were red, as were some of the blankets that laid over the plus seating areas in the relaxation block. Vases were red glass, the same bright red as the flowers within them. Kankri's eyes widened as they passed them, reaching out to grab one, watching it slide out of the vase, dripping water on the table and floor as they moved past.

He pressed his face into it, smiling at the sweet scent of it and the jade-blooded troll laughed softly, looking at him.

"You like those? They're called Kankri, like your name." She smiled at him, passing through the doors to the meal block, setting him in a metal chair at the round, green marble table. "Your name was chosen well. You've got a very pretty flower, there, but before you show it off you have to train it very carefully, and pick the thorns off, or it will hurt people. Maybe a little, maybe a lot. You never know how much a person can be harmed by something small."

The little boy considered the bright red flower very carefully, examining it from every angle. How could an innocent, well meaning, attractive flower do harm to a person? That was such a silly idea.

Breakfast was cluck beast broth. His new 'lusus' said that he was on 'soft food' until his throat healed. She explained that 'soft foods' included broths, yogurt, and ice cream, which made him perk up.

He was getting ice cream and treats because he was hurt, not because they'd managed to save a little more this perigee? It was a novel concept for Kankri, and he looked at Aretia, star-struck. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here after all?

After the meal he was lead outside, a hand on his. The Jade-blooded troll kept him close as she guided him into the glowing, mossy garden. Silver, shimmering mushrooms clung to the walls, and the squeaks could be heard down side tunnels.

Kankri tugged on the jade blooded Cull-lusus's hand and pointed toward a tunnel, brows furrowed as he tried to mouth the question on his mind. What exactly were those squeaks? What did they mean? Where were they coming from?

"That's just the grubs, don't worry. I'll show you." she explained, plucking him off the ground, carrying him down the tunnel. "You'll like them."

His eyes traveled over the increasingly jagged terrain, fingers digging into her dress. It seemed so terrifying down here, even with the glowing fungi spaced evenly down the tunnels. How was she so confident and sure footed?

She chuckled softly, hugging him. It was as though his fear amused her, which made him puff his cheeks and pout in frustration.

"I'm sorry little one. You have nothing to fear here. It will be alright." she soothed, taking him down the winding path. There were whispered 'good mornings' from other Dolorosa, young and old, and Kankri felt their eyes on him.

They seemed to be guarded, upset that a stranger--a male stranger--was in there territory.

"These are grubs." Aretia informed him, leaning over to show him the little creatures that writhed and squeaked in the thick, wet, mossy crucible. "They're little trolls. You were one once."

She walked him around, studiously ignoring the looks from the other trolls, chirping at a little black-eyed wiggler with a bright green body. It's head turned toward her and it chirped back, curious, inching toward them. It leaned up and wiggled it's fore-legs at them, an eager little grin on it's face.

"This one's like you." She held him closer, taking Kankri's hand to hold it down near the little one. "He's brighter than average. A yellow-green. This one will go to a lusus, and unless something really bad happens to him, he'll likely stay with that lusus as long as he lives. It'll be hard for him to get a job, because people will be worried for his health. People always worry about the different ones."

Kankri stared at the grub, touching one of it's legs, awed as the little one started mouthing his finger. Aretia went on as he leaned closer. She wasn't wrong. He did like them. They were a little slimy looking(they were just a little wet) and he was being drooled on, but he didn't mind at all.

"But whatever job he gets, I think he'll do well with. A lot of people wouldn't agree with me; They think wigglers who are different need to be cuddled and coddled until they're gone." she clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes, letting him lift the grub into his hands. "I think they should be given a chance, so I'm going to take care of you, and help you learn, and give you a chance."

He looked up at her, holding up the chirpy, happy grub. He wanted to know if all the different wigglers got chances.

The Dolorosa peered at him, and the little lime-coloured wiggling grub.

"If I had my way, yes."

"Aretia, how DO you manage it." One of the others piped up, sauntering over. Kankri tipped his head back, cradling the grub to his chest to protect it. His new lusus might not be a problem, but there was no telling about this one.

"Manage what Desita?" the woman set her hip against the crucible, glancing at her wiggler and his grub (Kankri was calling it his grub, at least, cuddling it to his chest like it was his to protect.)

"I heard you collected a sick little wiggler but now I find out he's a mutant as well." the woman pretended to be impressed, and Kankri cringed, reaching for the crucible to sit on the edge, hoping it would allow him a good show of Aretia telling the other troll off. He wasn't left hanging, she was going to give him a show, it seemed. His feet swung in the air as she placed the three sweep old where he'd asked and turned to face the other woman, hands on her side-canted hips.

"Kankri is just like any other wiggler his age, I'm sure, and deserves as much of a chance to feel welcomed in the world as any. He's injured, of course, but it doesn't disqualify him from many important jobs in the future, and even this might change. We're going in to see his doctor in a weeks time." She took a breath before continuing. "More over, you act as though every wiggler doesn't have equal chance in this life and we know that to be untrue. A garnet has as much chance as a violet or a cerulean, the only difference is their life span, and that shouldn't even matter. You act as though it's a disability, I say to you that it's not. All grubs are given the opportunity to become wigglers. All wigglers are given fair and equal chances at education. More over, I would appreciate you not acting as though you pity me for choosing to cull a wiggler to give him a chance. I find the fact that it was approved to be an honour and I will live up to the responsibility I volunteered for to the best of my ability, and take pride in the troll he becomes."

In later years they would find this not to be the case, and Kankri would rant, rave and cry to her about it, but for now he sat in awe of his new lusus and her turn of phrase. The way she didn't use belittling language, and even that she made promises for him. Words that made him feel like he was important and wanted.

"See to it he doesn't become a thorn in society's side, then, Aretia. Prevent this little one from becoming the leech many of his kind turn out to be, lest he wind up shaming his precious new lusus."

Kankri decided some adults were horrible people, as he pet the grub's head, sighing heavily, entirely unimpressed by the other woman. Surely she couldn't be right. He would never become the thorn. There was just no way he would ever shame this woman who'd made such an important promise to him, and stood up for him to another adult.

Not a chance.

**Author's Note:**

> I decided there would be a flower named Kankri. I thought there might be flowers with names like stars and star systems in Beforan society.  
> This is going to be a multi-chapter leading up to the first time we're introduced to him, and probably beyond. I really want to explore the Beta Vantas, and gain my affection for him once more.


End file.
